Page 78 of For One Night Only

Val preens, swinging her hips. “You like?”

“Who wouldn’t?”

Riker coughs, clearly uncomfortable at where the attention is going but unable to stop himself. “What is that, yoga?” he asks.

Val laughs, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “That or the Pilates.”

I wrap an arm around her shoulders, careful not to smudge anything. “Whatever it is, it’s working for me,” I whisper in her ear.

She flushes. “Noted.”

“Okay, if this is going to be a thing, we need a no-PDA rule, because I’m about to throw up,” Keeley says.

“Jealous you’re not getting any?” Val shoots back with a wink.

Keeley strikes a pose, tugging on her top. “I can getplenty, thank you.”

“I think Keeley’s got her sights set on someone in particular,” Riker says lightly.

Keeley blanches, but Jane joins our group in a whirlwind before it goes any further.

“The Network renewedInto the Dragon Realmfor two more seasons!” Jane shrieks. “Our numbers were already that good!”

“Mercer, that’s amazing!” Keeley screams.

Jane turns and immediately throws her arms around Keeley’s neck for a hug, and Keeley swings Jane around in a circle. Maybe that whole situation is not as unrequited as Keeley thinks. Riker grabs Jane for the next hug, I join in, and soon almost everyone is jumping up and down and screaming.

Valerie just blinks, stunned. But when she realizes she’s the odd one out, she quickly recovers. “Wow, that’s amazing. I’m so proud of you,” she says, drawing Jane into a hug of her own.

But I can’t miss the sadness hanging in her shoulders. I know she’s trying to hold it together, be happy for Jane, but it can’t be easy watching a friend get the exact good news you’re hoping for.

“Come on in, Glitter Bats!” an assistant says, and we all file into the room for the first round of shots.

Valerie leads the way, but I can see that her spark has dimmed.

I wish I could shield her from this pain, the heartache of not knowing if she’ll be allowed to continue on. That’s the thing about this business—it’ll break your heart more times than it won’t. You’ll hear a hundred nos for every precious yes. You can fall in love with the industry, you can give it everything, but it will never love you back.

And it’s a reminder that I still don’t know if I can subject myself to it all again.

Glitter Bats in Conversation with Mary Kate Hampton forBuzzword

Video Description:Valerie Quinn, Caleb Sloane, Riker Maddox, Keeley Cunningham, and Jane Mercer sit in two rows of director’s chairs atBuzzwordHQ in Los Angeles. The room has bright purple walls and a shiny wooden floor. Mary Kate Hampton sits across from them with a tablet in hand.

Video Transcript:

Mary Kate Hampton:Thank you all for meeting me today.

Riker Maddox:Anything for you, MK.

Keeley Cunningham:Okay, Maddox, keep it in your pants.

RM:I’m trying to bepolite, Keels. Something you could learn from me.

[Laughter from all]

Caleb Sloane:We’re all very happy to be here, Mary Kate.

MKH:The concert is tomorrow! That must be such a thrill after all this time. How are you feeling?

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